| The present study explored the neural correlates of language representations in trilinguals using a picture naming paradigm.Previous studies suggest bilinguals recruit a common neural network for different language production and the involvement of language areas in that network is modulated by variables such as age of onset acquisition,language proficiency level and language characteristics.This present study using a within-subject design examined how multilinguals process languages with various proficiency.Thirty Cantonese-Mandarin-English trilinguals with high level of language proficiency in Cantonese(L1)and Mandarin(L2),and relatively intermediate language proficiency in English(L3)participated this functional magnetic resonance imaging(f MRI)study.They were asked to complete cued picture naming tasks in three different single language contexts(L1,L2 and L3).Our f MRI results showed that the activation in three different single blocks activated overlapping functional brain areas dedicated to well-known language areas,including the left inferior frontal gyrus(IFG),left middle frontal gyrus(MFG),supplementary motor areas(SMA),left inferior parietal lobule(IPL)as well as thalamus(THA).Furthermore,L1 and L2 conditions involved more activations in the right hemisphere,including the right inferior frontal gyrus(IFG),right middle frontal gyrus(MFG)and left middle temporal gyrus(MTG).On the contrary,language production in L3 obviously is more left-lateralized,especially in the left medial superior frontal gyrus cortex and the left cerebellum.Moreover,we found effective connectivity among those overlapping regions underlying language representation,in which L1 and L2 shared a similar and more active neural connection as compared to L3.Our findings highlight a common neural network with different brain connectivity subserving the language processing in multilinguals who speak languages with different proficiency and language characteristics. |
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